🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$9,922 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Health Professions or Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting (the two biggest majors)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 798, or ACT below 15 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Total enrollment
5,519
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$9,922
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$17,272
+$7,350 vs in-state
Admit rate
49.9%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
798–1000
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
15–19
composite
Test policy
Required
2023
10-yr earnings
$43,371
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$33,033
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,371
4-year completion
27%
Median debt (completers)
$29,251
Cost of attendance
$26,341
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
68%

💰 True ROI

5.4× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$80,308
$20,077/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$25,056
vs sticker $105,364
10-yr earnings total
$433,710
$43,371/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.9 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Southern University and A & M College, the average net price is $20,077/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$19,047/yr
Family income $30-48k
$19,395/yr
Family income $48-75k
$22,288/yr
Family income $75-110k
$25,292/yr
Family income $110k+
$26,069/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Southern University and A & M College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Southern University and A & M College →

Opens on Southern University and A & M College's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Southern University and A & M College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Southern University and A & M College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions
149 degrees · 35.6%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
2. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
89 degrees · 21.2%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.
3. Business, Management, & Marketing
81 degrees · 19.3%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
4. Communication, Journalism, & Related
50 degrees · 11.9%
Typical career outcomes
Public Relations Specialist $67k Marketing Manager $158k Writer / Editor $75k Reporter / Journalist $58k
Media, PR, marketing communications. Salary spread is wide.
5. Engineering
50 degrees · 11.9%
Typical career outcomes
Mechanical Engineer $100k Electrical Engineer $107k Civil Engineer $93k Chemical Engineer $112k
Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Southern University and A & M College

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 26 $75,001 $92,969
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 96 $79,871 $86,838
Civil Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 12 $60,219 $68,016
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 26 $45,907 $58,951
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 12 $40,750 $56,097
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 17 $42,524 $53,159
Social Work. Bachelor's Degree 31 $29,703 $52,217
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. Bachelor's Degree 9 $25,281 $51,611
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. Bachelor's Degree 16 $37,855 $50,616
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 73 $32,499 $49,609

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Southern University and A & M College

CS degrees (annual)
100
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Southern University and A & M College vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Southern University and A & M College

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Southern University and A & M College doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
Alabama State University
AL · Public
3 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas State University
TX · Public
3 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Southern University and A & M College.
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($19,124 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($16,073 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($15,476 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($15,372 less)
East Central University
OK · Public
$10,702/yr for $110k+ families ($15,367 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Nicholls State University
LA · Public
96% admit rate (vs 50% here)
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
LA · Public
94% admit rate (vs 50% here)
Louisiana State University-Alexandria
LA · Public
93% admit rate (vs 50% here)
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
LA · Public
83% admit rate (vs 50% here)
McNeese State University
LA · Public
68% admit rate (vs 50% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Southern University and A & M College into your overall strategy:

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